


Welcome to the Dark Carnival

by awkward_rainboat



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Humanstuck, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-29
Updated: 2014-02-21
Packaged: 2018-01-10 10:54:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1158839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awkward_rainboat/pseuds/awkward_rainboat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tavros Nitram is a swept away from his life with his poor father, to a rather strange visiting circus.<br/>Gamzee Makara is a clown in the Dark Carnival circus visiting a seaside town, when he is put in charge of a kid that is sold off to the circus.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome to the Carnival

          Walking home from school, Tavros could smell the deep, salty roar of the near by ocean, bringing with it the screeching seagulls that followed the fishing the boats to the docks, hoping to find any scrap of food the fishing men discarded or dropped. The thought of the funny little squawking birds with their bright orange feet arguing over a bit of fish tail, or some crust from one of the men's sandwiches was enough to make the small boy chuckle silently to himself, but was drawn into to a sullen mood when he remembered he would be unable to go watch the birds himself, and instead of turning the well trodden sidewalk that lead to the beach, Tavros turned to the way that would lead hi back to his father's craggy, old apartment, where his father would be waiting for him. Something they had to talk about, and had to talk about today, which conveniently enough was that last day of school until the new one started next year. A weak smile found its way onto Tavros's face as the thought of summer vacation flitted across his mind. He absent mindedly thought about how the summer would be, no homework, or angry teachers with their snapping rulers and heavy books, no gross school lunches, or bullies to picked on him. Just him and the washed out sea, with nothing but the 'gulls for company. It would have been an understatement to say he was looking forward to the almost three months free of school.  
Walking the path that lend to the apartment, Tavros was so wrapped up in his own mind he didn't register the bouncy girl in green ruffled tutu, wearing a dark green crushed velvet corset over a light shirt with baggy sleeves, holding a stack of flyers, a hammer, and some nails, until he had ran full onto her, knocking them both of them to the sidewalk, and sending papers flying.  
           "Hey! Pass auf, wo du gets, du Dummkopf!" The girl spat out angrily in fluent german, glowering at him.  
           "uH, sorry, sorry, I, Um, didn't mean t-to do that, I mean, I, uh, should have been looking where I was, ah, going, and, um, here, sorry let me h-help you." Tavros stuttered out, tripping over his own words, while helping the girl with her flyers that lay scattered across the sidewalk, wincing under her glare. The strangely dressed girl considered him for a moment, before her looked softened, and she said much more gently that before, "No, no eet is purrfectly fin. There vas no reason for me to strike out at you in such a manner." The girl's accent was thick and heavy, yet it fit her loud, and comical personality.  
           "S-still, I r-really should have been paying, uh, more attention." Tavros mumbled sheepishly, glancing down at the flyers in his hands. They read in thick, ink black letters, **WELCOME, TO THE DARK CARNIVAL** a beautiful, and elegant drawing of a crystal ball showing scenes of elephants, and lions, clowns, people rolling globe while juggling devils sticks in their hands, a muscle man, and a tall dark circus master poured out from under them, and more inky black letters, though smaller than those of the title told the time, dates, and how much tickets would be surrounded the space below, and around the illustration of the circus. A slight frown tugged at the edges of Tavros mouth as he looked up at the girl, his brow crinkled in confusion as he timidly asked, "t-The circus? Why are you, uH, hanging up posters for, um, a circus, if, uh, you don't mind me, er, asking?"  
           "Vhat do you mean? I vork there, of course! I get to play veefth the BEEEEG kitties!" The girl cheerfully replied, as if stating the obvious, and then batting at his arm playfully and adding a joking, "Rawwr!" and giggling as she did.  
           "Oh, I'm Nepeta, by zeh vay. Nepeta Leijion. " Nepeta said, sticking out her hand that wasn't holding the hammer, nails, or flyers. "And you are…?"  
           "Oh, um, I'm Tavros Nitrum. N-nice to, uh, meet you, Nepeta." Tavros said, cautiously reaching to shake the out stretched hand of Nepeta.  
           "Nitrum? Nitrum……Niiitttruuuummm…… Vhere 'ave I heard dat name before… You are not related to anyone in de circus, purrchance, are you? No? Hmm." the girl trailed off, losing herself in thought as Tavros was collecting the last of the flyers off the sidewalk.  
           "Oh!" Nepeta explained remembering why she was out there in the first place, "I am sorry, to leave so soon, Tavros, but I should probably geet going, before I geet another scolding from Equius for dilly-dallying." The girl said pushing herself off the ground, and scooping up the rest of the flyers out of Tavros's hands, "Purrhaps I vill see you again soon, Ja?" The german girl asked once Tavros was standing, looking at him with a hopeful look.  
           "Yeah, uh, maybe, I'm not, uh, real sure if I would be able to----Ooof!" Tavros was cut off short by the short, but powerful bear hug from the smiling german girl, who exclaimed, "Vounderful! I vill see you about, Tavvros!" before turning on her heel, and skipping off while waving before turning a corner, and disappearing.  
           "Well, that was, uh, interesting." Muttered Tavros to himself, running a hand through his mohawk, before walking up the steps to the building leading to the apartment shared with his dad.

          "Hey, uh, Dad, I'm, um, Dad? What's uh, what's um, uh, er……" Tavros trailed off as he got a look at the strangely crowded kitchen, while he set down his key to the apartment. Draped all over the counters and chairs, and in one case the sink, were what one could only describe as circus freaks. And in the middle of all them was his Dad, and a strangely tall, muscular, and unruly man. The strange man had thick shots of of wavy black hair piling on his shoulders, giving off a look of the mane on a lion, settling on top of that was a deep indigo velvet top hat with a light purple ribbon wrapping around the base of the hat, his face was hidden by a grotesque mask of face paint that was all points and sharp edges, He wore a horizontally striped vest, with a jet black button up shirt under that, and a pair of striped arm warmers matching his vest were strapped tightly on his arms; his legs were clad in a pair of black pants that had purple poka-dotted leg warmers pulled over them, and on his feet he donned heavy duty black boots, that had scuff marks on the toes of them. At the moment the man was draped over one of the better chairs surrounding the table, and was tipping it backwards, so it only stood on its back legs, while his legs, stretched all the way to the other side of the, roughly three foot long kitchen table. Tavros took a guess that if the man was standing up completely straight he would be somewhere around the seven foot tall mark. He also made a shot in the dark that this was someone he really did not want to get involved with.  
The sound of his Dad clearing his voice from the opposite end of the table of the rather large and intimidating man clad in black and indigo, was enough to call Tavros's attention and pull him out his thoughts to hear his father say, "Tav, what do you think about the circus?"  
           "The circus? w-What do I, uh, t-think about it?" Tavros spoke timidly, "I, uh, well, um, I think its, ah, sitting in our, um, k-kitchen, uh, Dad."  
           At this last comment from Tavros, the large gathering of strange people let out a rowdy bout of laughter, especially the rather length and intimidating man who was seated across from his father, who would let out the occasional "honk" which caused Tavros to jump several times.  
           "AHAHAHONKHA! Oh, and I thought you said the kid was a timid one! OHhoohoo!" Roared the man, slapping his hand on the table, and cause Tavros's father to wince visibly. "Alright, Joe, the kid can come with us! He is officially excepted into the Dark Carnival! Maybe we can make him a clown, now wouldn't that be something'! This stuttering mess of a child, a clown! heheh!"  
           Tavros opened his mouth to ask what he meant by that, but was interrupted by his father saying, "Yeah, yeah, you'd treat him like your own son, I got it, I got it, though I am not quite sure if that should be reassuring." with that last comment, his Dad glanced at the sink which a gangly kid with a light purple, similar in colour to the ribbon on the top hat of the man his father was talking to was wearing, vest that seemed to be a few to sizes to big, and baggy clown pants covered in different coloured polka-dots, with his face covered in grease paint looking similar to clown make up, but in the colours of grey and white, was currently occupying.  
           "Oh, I am insulted, Joe, perhaps WOUNDED even!" The man laughed, but managing to make it sound menacing.  
           A dark silence hung over the kitchen as the two men seemed to have a stare down. Tavros took this opportunity to observe that one of the circus performers had manage to fold themselves into the empty cupboard above the stove.  
           "Whatever you what to do with the kid, it's your decision now." Tavros's Dad said finally, leaning back into his chair.  
           "Oh, and don't I know it?" a malevolent grin spread across the strangers face as Tavros processed what exactly was being said.  
           "w-Wait, what do you, uh, mean by that? D-dad?" Tavors said his eyebrows scrunching together in confusion. He looked between the ominous stranger and his father and back again before saying, "You, uh, aren't, uh, sending me, um, a-away, uh, are y-you?"  
           "Tavros, you remember that talk we were going to have once you got home?"  
           "Probably should make this short, Joe, we are on a bit of a schedule, opening night tonight." The stranger muttered gruffly across the table.  
           "Ah, yes, right, well, Tavros, as it turns out there really wasn't much to be talked about anyway. The decisions already been made." His father said, taking a great interest in scraping of some old dried food off the table.  
           "W-what, ah, d-decision, uh, do you m-m-mean, uh, dad?" Tavros asked, "You-you're not saying that, ah, y-you're sending me, um, to, uh, th-the, uhm, c-c-circus, are yo-you?"  
           "Listen, Tavros, you know how we've been dealing with financial troubles, right?" his dad paused before continuing, "Well, we don't have enough money to make it through this summer, let alone next winter. So for now you are going to go with Mr. Makara, and preform in his circus until we can be better off, you got it?" Tavros noticed as his father spoke, that across the table a malicious grin formed itself on the mouth of whom he assumed to be, Mr. Makara, and decide he'd rather not know what it meant.  
           "This is only temporary, you got it, Tavros?" his father continued.  
           "But w-why send me, um, away? I could h-h-help! I could, um, get a s-summer j-job, or, uh, something!" Tavros choked out, desperate not to be swept away with a bunch of strange people, and be ogled at like an exotic animal in a zoo.  
           "Joe, as much as this is a heart-wrenching moment, we have to get this show on the road." Mr. Makara said, placing the chair onto all four of its feet, and standing up, or at least standing up as much as he could because of his height, crouching over so that his head didn't crash through the kitchen ceiling. As soon as he stood up, the rest of the crew filling the kitchen unfolded themselves from whatever crevice the had manage to stick themselves in, straightening their colourful costumes, knocking any visibly dust they had gathered off of them. Panic flooded throughout Tavros as they started filing out of the kitchen, and into the living room.  
           "Gamzee, your in charge of this motherfucker, ya got it?" The towering stranger said to, what one would assume was a clown, who was currently pulling himself out of the sink, or at least was trying to. When the man said his name, the clown's head turned in the direction of the voice as he answered with a lopsided smile, "Yeah, shouldn't be no problem for this motherfucker to all up and look after a brother for another motherfucker!" before finally jumping out of the sink. Tavros shot a look of panic over to his dad as Gamzee sauntered over, and slung an arm around his shoulders, steering him towards the door.  
           "I promise this is all for the best, Tavros." his dad said as he was lead out the door of his apartment in a wave of circus perfumers, but before Tavros could respond to his father he was walking out onto the cracked sidewalk that was in front of the apartment complex he lived in, and down the street.


	2. Paint and Leotards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "REALLY? A brother's never been to a circus before? And you're not pullin' my motherfuckin' leg, or any sorts of those fuckin' antics, are you? Nope? Whoa, my brother, well this'll be an interesting night for you then, 'cause your gonna be in one!" A grin stretched across the already smiling painted face of Gamzee as he laughed at Tavros's face of terror.

     Tavros had never seen anything quite like it, the dusty red tents with their golden tassels hanging off the corners stretching into the sky like the wings of a great dragon the small ones surrounding a large one that was all strung up with lights, which Tavros assumed must be the main attraction of the circus. Tavros could hear Gamzee, the clown who had his arm slung over Tavros's shoulders, talking animatedly about something, and steering Tavros who was practically tripping over his own feet as he tried to take in all the activity going on around him as the circus set up for the night's show.

     "Whoa, brother! Better be watchin' where those feet of yours be going to, else you don't know where you'll be fuckin' headed to!" The clown said, laughed as Tavros tripped for the umpteenth time, "It's like brother has never seen a motherfuckin' circus before!"

     "Well, er, I really haven't ever, uh, had the chance to, um, to, uh, go t-to one. Or, uh, had the m-money to." Tavros said, as they ducked behind one of the smaller tents toward the back of the circus, and into one of the trailers that sat behind it.

     "REALLY? A brother's never been to a circus before? And you're not pullin' my motherfuckin' leg, or any sorts of those fuckin' antics, are you? Nope? Whoa, my brother, well this'll be an interesting night for you then, 'cause your gonna be in one!" A grin stretched across the already smiling painted face of Gamzee as he laughed at Tavros's face of terror.

     "W-w-w, uhmm, W-what do y-you mean, _in_ the circ-circus?" Tavros asked as well as he could in his surprise and terror of thinking about thousands of people, as he was sure could fill the circus, ogling over him preforming in the circus.

     "Didn't a motherfucker know? Oh, shit, musta forgotten 'bout telling you. We can't have you just hanging around getting tripped over or anythin'," Gamzee rushed before Tavros could interject, "but it's not like the motherfucker's gonna have to do something' huge, you'll be part of my act."

     Tavros understood Gamzee was trying to be reassuring when he said, but it wasn't really working. Apparently Tavros unease was evident because Gamzee a said second later, "It's just a bit of dancing is all, you don't even have to juggle or anything, brother, I get to do all that fancy handy work." as they walked into one of the doors in the trailer that they had been wandering inside of.

     Once they stepped through the door, they where hit by the gentle smell of some strange incense that caused Tavros to sneeze, the sound of rustling fabric, and a set of voices that seemed to be having a sort of argument.

     "I thought I told you not to go out in your outfit! I thought I told Equius not to allow you out in your outfit! I knew this would happen too! I just knew it!" An irritated woman's voice could be heard as Gamzee steered Tavros through the many costumes that where hung about the room, or draped over various chairs that were sat in front counters that jutted out of the walls.

     "Vell, I didn't think somefing like zhees vould 'appen, and it vas all fine until some kid ran into me." A familiar heavily accented voice wavered over to their ears, clearly heavy with pout at being scolded.

     "Well, of course you don't **think** something will happen, that doesn't mean it won't! Oh, **WOULD** you hold still for ten seconds?! This is hard enough to fix **WITHOUT** you moving so much!"

     They rounded a corner to see a rather tall, well built woman in an elegant red dress wearing matching elbow length gloves, sewing together a rip in the side of a green tutu, of an exceptionally bouncy girl.

     "Hey! Kanaya! And Nepeta! How's it hanging with my sisters? Was wondering if you could be all up and miraculous for a motherfucker, Kanaya, and whip up a quick costume for a brother!" The clown exclaimed at the sight of the two ladys.

     At the sound of Gamzee's voice they both turned to look at him, Kanaya looking at him with an exasperated look, and Nepeta with a look of great excitement when her eyes settled on Tavros.

     "Tavros!" The girl exclaimed, making an attempt to tackle him, to only be caught around the waist by Kanaya.

     "Oh, no you don't, I'm not finished fixing your skirt, and you are not ruining it again before I am able to have it fixed up nice and proper." She said giving Nepeta a scolding look, before relinquishing her grip around the girl's midsection, "Gamzee, why in the whole wide world do you require a costume, five hours before, the show tonight?" switching her scolding look from Nepeta to Gamzee, before turning back to fixing the tear in Nepeta's tutu.

     "For this motherfuckin' brother, just picked him up, and the fuckers gonna need somethin' if he's preformin' tonight, and you know Dad's gonna want 'im to." The clown said a lazy smile on his face.Kanaya sighed exasperatedly muttering something incomprehendable under her breath. They lapsed into silence as Kanaya finished sewing up the tear in Nepeta's skirt before standing from her crouching position and looking over Tavros carefully.

     "What exactly will I be making for him?" Kanaya asked measuredly, as Nepeta bounded over to him, and tackling him in a bear hug that nearly knocked him over, "It can't be to complicated, I only have five hours to make it, Gamzee, so try to keep that in mind."

     "Well, he's going to be part of my motherfuckin' act, so I was envisioning something along the fuckin' lines of what Porrim wears." Gamzee said, his hands waving around in the air as he spoke.

     "Which outfit? The one she dons during your act, the one for her own act, or…… her other one." Kanaya inquired, sauntering over to a pile of neatly organized sewing supplies and cloth, "I am hoping you are not referring to the later, Gamzee." This comment seemed to be humorous, because it sent Gamzee off laughing while he said, "Oh, no, I wasn't planning embarrassing a motherfuckin' brother on his first night, by asking him to dress like that! Nah, I was thinking, if you motherfuckin' could, base it off the fuckin one she wears for my act, could you that for a brother, Kanaya? Pretty, motherfuckin', please?"

     "As if I have much of a choice, Gamzee. While I get this boy's measurements you should find Porrim to let her know she won't be preforming in your act tonight, and see if she'll be willing to teach him the dance moves for tonight. Oh, and, Gamzee? Be delicate with what you say to her, she may not be too peachy about being cut from the performance, no matter what she says to contradict that." Kanaya said pulling out a measuring tape, and shooing Nepeta off Tavros, "And while you're out there, you should grab your paints, I know you're going to want them."

     "Sure thing, sister! I'll be back before you know it, Kanaya!" Gamzee said before loping out the door. Kanaya sighed, before turning to Tavros and saying, "That boy sometimes, good heavens!" She rolled her eyes as she began measuring Tavros's waist, "Nepeta, could you ever so kindly get that pad of paper over there and record the measurements I tell you to? Thank you dear. Oh, by the way, do I have a name to call you by? Or do I-----"

     "His name ees, Tavros, Kanaya, veren't you listening to me earlier vhen they first came in?" Nepeta interjected, balancing herself atop one of the chairs in the room, and smiling smuggling at knowing something Kanaya didn't.

     "I ran eento 'im earlier today, a bit literally too. Which, by zee vay, vhat are you doin' 'ere anyvay, Tavros?" Nepeta asked scurtinizing him, as Kanaya told her numbers to record.

     "I'm, uh, not quite sure, ah, what really h-happened? I t-think my, um, dad sent me here, er, until he get's a better, uhm, job? An-and then he'll, uh, come get me? I t-think?" Tavros stuttered as Kanaya asked him to raise up his arms so she could get a measurement on his bust.

     "Vierd, don't usually people vant to keep family close? Vhy could your faver---Ow! Kanya vhat vas that for?!" Nepeta exclaimed when she received a quick elbow to the side of her head. "Pardon me, that was very unintentional, I didn't think you were so close." Kanaya answered quickly giving Nepeta a look. Nepeta opened her mouth to say some snarky comment, and then she caught Kanaya's look and said, "Yeah, okay, just watch where your elbow is next time." as some understanding passing between the two of them.     

     She turned back to Tavros, probably to ask him some other question, but before she could she was interrupted by a knock on the door, and it was opened and a man with long, straight black hair, wearing dark cracked glasses, who then proceeded to enter the room.

     "Equius! Vhat are you doing here?" the girl exclaimed cheerfully as the man stood awkwardly in the doorway.

     "Nepeta, your assistance is required, those paw beasts you are care taker to are being particularly unruly at the moment." Equius said in an awkward, but comanding tone. The man, Tavros noticed, had one or two teeth missing from his mouth, and was extremely muscular.

     "Aww, but I am helping Kanaya!" the girl whined.

     "Actually I do not require anymore help from you, Nepeta, you are free to go." Kanaya called from a pile of cloth she was sorting through. 

     " _Fine_ , I vill come and help you vith the kitties. Vy zee vay, this is Tavros, Tavros this eez Equius, he is part of my purrformance! Perhaps after your act you might get to vitness our stunning act!" Nepeta giggled, pouting slightly, as she jumped off the back of the chair, and scurried over to the door to where Equius was standing.

     "Nepeta, before you leave, I finished that tail you asked for...... Here hang on, I should only be but a moment." Kanaya called after the girl rushing over to one of the many piles of costumes. She shuffled through the pile before pulling out a blue tail, with two ribbions in matching colour hanging off the base of it.

     "Ah, here it is," Kanaya said, tossing the tail over to Nepeta in one elagant sweep of her arm, "You understand how to tie on the tail to the back of your skirt, correct? Alright then, off you go, if you need any help, you know where to find me."

     "Of course, Kanaya! Ve vill purrobably see you later!" and with that the girl bounced out of the room, Equius trailing behind her and closing the door with a slam that shook the whole trailer.

     "Equius!" Kanaya shouted after the man.

     "I appoligize profusely, I did not intend for that sort of thing to happen, Kanaya!" the muffled voice of Equius called through the door, "Nepeta, I think it is best if you do the honors of opening and closing doors for the time being."

     Kanaya muttered something about how ridiculous Equius was as she set down a pile of cloth that she had been carrying in her arms.

      "Now, we aren't going to want any warm colours, it will be to dry, what with your tan skin, no, what we need is a nice blue, maybe a green, or perhaps--OH! I've got it! I know exactly what we need!" Kanya said, sorting through the pile, pulling out shades of green as she did. She continued to mutter to herself as the door was flung open, and Gamzee entered, carrying an ugly grey, green, beaten-up box.

     "Alright, I got our motherfuckin' paints, and Porrim'll be here in about ten, how's it going here with you fuckers? Where's Nepeta?" He exclaimed, and all but dropping the box on one of the counters, looking around for the cat tamer.

     "S-She just, uh, left with, um, Equius? To, uh, take care of the, um, cats?" Tavros said from where he stood in the corner of the room. 

     "Oh, Gamzee! I have just the perfect idea! You know how Porrim's outfit is based off that of a water nymph's? Well, because of Tavros's olive, brown complexion, I'm going to base it off of a forest nymph instead! Oh, it'll look absolutely wounderous, just you two wait!" Kanaya chattered away excitedly, pulling out cloth from here and there.

     "I knew a motherfuckin' sister could figure somethin' out that'd be motherfuckin' miraculous! Knew it!" The clown laughed.

     Kanaya seemed to be ignoring Gamzee as she sorted through some other costumes she had laying around. Finally finding what she wanted, she threw a splotchy green leotard over her shoulder to Tavros, saying, "Go try that on, it should fit, but if it doesn't I'm sure I can find something else, the dressing rooms are around the corner, the door on the-- You know what, Gamzee, you know where it is, could you just show him?"

     "Sure thing, anything this motherfucker can do to help!" Gamzee said strolling around the corner, dragging Tavros with him. He pulled Tavros over to a door with a faded yellow star on it, that said in equally as faded black marker, Dressing Rooms. Tavros looked at it unsurely, but was nudged in through the now open door by Gamzee, who closed the door behind Tavros. Tavros, now by himself, looked around the room, with it's peeling paint, and it's make-up stained sink. All in all it was small, but provided the necessary room it required to be used. Tavros just sighed, and began to change.

     Halfway through undressing there came a knock at the door, and Gamzee's voice drifted through the door saying, "Just in case a motherfucker didn't know, or was fuckin' wonderin', you don't wear underwear with that motherfucker of a leotard. Just thought you might like to know, bro." Tavros could feel his face heat up as he said, "Uh, r-right, um, thanks."

     "No motherfuckin' problem." Once he had finished changing into the leotard he came out of the dressing room, holding his normal cloths tight to his body, his cheeks a ruddy shade of red at how much of his skin was showing.

     "Damn, Kansis, was right, a motherfucker looks good already, and your out fit isn't even fuckin' finished yet!" The clown laughed as he steered an even redder Tavros back into the main room, where Kanaya was already working on the rest of the costume.

     She looked up as the pair walked into the room, a few pin pinched in between her black-painted lips. She gestured towards a chair, saying as well as she could through the pins, "You can just set your clothing over there, I'll bring it to you after the show's over, Gamzee I can find him in your, Karkat's, Dave's, and John's trailer, correct? Excellent, Tavros how's that fitting you, it's not too tight or lose, is it?"

     "N-no, it, uh, fits q-quite well, um, actually." Tavros mumbled, shifting awkwardly from one foot to another.

     "I'll say!" Gamzee said letting out a laugh as he opened up the make-up box he had left on the counter, pulling out paint and brushes.

     "Hey, Kansis, is it chill with you if a motherfucker all up and paints up a brothers face?"

     Kanaya glanced up at Tavros, who was placing his cloths on one of the chairs before shrugging and mumbling, "Ine by me, the rest of his outfit won't have contact with his face, so if you want to, go ahead."

     "Sweet sister! Tavbro, come on over here, so we can all up and paint that face of yours!"              

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, yeah! Chapter two, FINISHED! *Dramatically slams a stack of stapled papers down onto a table*   
> Please let me know if you enjoyed reading this, or if there is something I could do to make it better, or if I screwed up the grammar/spelling, it is always appreciated! And thank you for taking the time to read this! ^-^


	3. Break a Leg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What's a motherfuckin' bro afraid of?" Gamzee's words hummed through Tavros has he cautiously buried his face in the clown's vest.
> 
> "P-People lau-, uh, laughing at, um, m-me." Tavros muttered.

     By the time Tavros and Gamzee left Kanaya's trailer and met up with Porrim, Tavros had his face painted, from his hair line to his upper lip was an elegant white skull, decorated with red flower petals blooming from around deep black sockets painted around his dark brown eyes, black swirling lines danced about the cheekbones and forehead, and small yellow and blue flowers popped out here and there. Below the cheekbones of the skull, Gamzee had painted a red blush, one in matching shade to the blood red paint that coloured Tavros's lower lip.

     Gamzee had painted over all of that with a clear, strange smelling paint, which he also used to paint shapes on Tavros's arms, legs, hands, and what was showing on his feet, which were mostly obscured from the light-weight, dark green shoes Kanaya had given him to wear.    

     As Gamzee worked, he explained what the act was, when it was, and how it was preformed. What Tavros had gathered from Gamzee's scattered ramblings, was that the act was called, "THE CLOWN AND THE ELEGANT LADY" and that basically what it was, was the story of a clown, that fell in love with an elegant woman who was reluctant to participate in a relationship with said clown because of a bad fall out with a recent lover. The clown though is persistent, and eventually wins the lady over, at this point, the past lover enters the scene, and kills both the clown and the elegant woman. Then that's the end of their act, which leads into the magic act. From there it continues onto chainsaw tricks, and then the lions and muscle man acts come on, ect, ect. They of course were also the first act that would be preforming that night.

     Tavros hid behind Gamzee and Porrim as the walked to the main tent, until Gamzee had dragged him to so walk in between him and Porrim, slinging one arm arm Tavros's shoulders and holding him close to his side as if he was were afraid Tavros would up and disappear on him.  
As they entered the main tent their attention was drawn to an albino in a red suit with dark shades covering his eyes, who wolf whistled as he strode over to the trio.  

     "Check **_it_** , Makara, certainly picked yourself a fuckin' flower out from the rose garden of dames, haven't ya?" The guy said a slight smirk playing at the edges of his lips, "Where the fuck does a clown like you get such a girl to get down with? I swear girls these days, pirouetting right off into the deep end, off a metaphorical pan handle. They should get fuckin' awards for that shit. 'specially such a piece 'a eye candy this one is. Dave Strider, at your service." The man who introducing himself as Dave Strider extended a hand towards Tavros, who had been shying away behind Gamzee.

     "Does a choice babe have a name, or does this Strider get to make one up for a kitten?" Dave inquired as Tavros reached out and cautiously shook the strangers hand.

     "Oh, uHm, s-sorry I'm, uh, Tav-Tavros N-nitram. uH, nice to, um, m-meet you?" Tavros stuttered, suddenly glad for the make up covering his flaming face, he sifted from foot to foot.

     "Damn, a motherfuckers got a brother all up flustered! Dave, gotta give a brother some motherfuckin' room, bro! He's a shy little fucker!" Gamzee laughed, a smirk settling lazily on his lips, his eyes twinkling in amusement, as a look of surprise flashed across Dave's face before being replaced by a stoic expression not a second later.

     "Well I'll be fucked, Makara. Did one ill job making the kid look like anything other than female. Not that he makes a bad boy either, if you know what I mean." Dave drawled out as he nudged Tavros playfully in the side.  
Gamzee laughed as Tavros almost tripped over his own feet in surprise, before leaning over to Dave and whispering, "I call dibs." while wiggling his eyebrows and grinning.

     "Not cool, dude. Didn't even give a bro a chance to get all out 'n laying on his sicknasty Strider charm."

     "'Cause a motherfucker brother won't all up and do that motherfuckin' shit anyway. 'Sides brother, can't have you stealing my motherfuckin' dance partner. That shit wouldn't be all motherfuckin' cool."

     "Zpeaking of veetch, ve 'ould probably geet 'o teaching your taureau ami, beefore zee show 'onight." Porrim drawled through her thick french accent, giving the boys a stern look, before she sauntered off towards the wood pallet stage that was set up in the middle of the circus tent.

     Gamzee watched Porrim as she made her way towards the stage, before turning back to Dave.

     "S'pose a motherfuckin' sister's right, should probably all up and get down the move before the show all up 'n motherfuckin' starts. Catch you later, brother." Gamzee grinned before grabbing Tavros by the wrist and dragging him along to catch up with Porrim.   
       
  
  
     Two hours later Tavros was starting to get a hang of the motions without tripping over his own feet, and to be honest he was actually enjoy himself, a grin spread across his face that challenged Gamzee's ever present grin.   
   

     "See? Not so bad as a motherfuckin' brother thought it'd be, huh, Tavbro?" The clown laughed cheerfully as he twirled Tavros around, and then spun up around into the air before circling back down and spinning him out, only to pull him back in.     

     Tavros's laughter bubbled out from his throat, as Gamzee's infectious mood got to him like a disease, "uH, y-yeah, it isn't, um, that bad."     
   

     Gamzee's grin stretched farther across his mouth as he ducked under Tavros's right arm, turning him around in a loop, pulling him back in again, his hands finding Tavros's hips, before taking a step forward, and tipping Tavros back. Feeling unbalanced, Tavros's hands shot forward to grab a hold of Gamzee's silky purple vest, which caused Gamzee to lean forward even more than he already was, leaving a fraction of an inch between their faces.    

      This was the third time they had run through the entire dance without Tavros tripping over his feet, or Gamzee messing it up in his own strange way, and Tavros wasn't sure he was quite sure how he felt about how close they ended up being to each other.      

     "Alvright, I believe that eez enough practeece for zhe dance for now. Now we 'ould moove unto zhe end of zee act." Porrim announced sensing Tavros's uncertainty, "So for a minute you vil stay in that last position, before you hear drums, and zhen you vil quickly move apart, you trying get zhen clown out of zhere, got it? Alright, and don't be afraid to shove him gently, zhen Eridan vill come out, and flash a vit of lightning around, and zhen he'll look at you and zhe clown, before 'itting jou vith "lightning." Vhen he does zat, you vil both fall to zhe ground, and zhe lights vill 'o out. 'Ot zhat so far?" She asked, making eye contact with Tavros to confirm he was getting all the information she was throwing at him.     

     "I, uh, think so, yeah." Tavros nodded at her, his eyebrows scrunched together in serious thought as he sifted through the tattooed lady's thick accent, to wrap his mind around what she was laying across the stage, through arm movements, and reenactments.    

     "Alright, and zhen..."   
  
  
  
     The tent was filled to the brim with people, a buzz of excited chatter bubbling from at least a thousand moving mouths. It was almost overwhelming. The closest Tavros had ever come to being in front of this many people, was when he had been beaten up at school, while his peers cheered on the bullies. His throat constricted in panic as he heard someone yell, "TEN MINUTES! TEN MINUTES TILL SHOW TIME!"   
   

     He really wasn't sure he was going to be able to go through with this, the pressure was just too much, and there were all together too many people out there, with their staring eyes, watching for any glitch in the performance, any misstep, or second of hesitation.   
   

     A gentle had rested on Tavros's shoulder, causing him to jump a foot into the air, startled umber eyes shot up to meet dark blue, almost indigo, eyes in the face of a rather concerned looking clown.   
   

     "You gonna be okay, Tavbro? Startin' to look a little motherfuckin' green 'bout the gils there, bro." Gamzee said worry carefully folded into his voice, as he leaned over slightly, his head cocked to the side to get a better look at the anxious mess that was currently Tavros Nitram.   
   

     "Umm, I, uh, Gamzee?" Tavros said chewing on his lip, as he wrapped his fingers in the tangled "vines" that hung off the lose hanging skirt that was clipped to the front and the back of the leotard he wore, splitting in the middle of front, but also hanging low enough on the sides, so that you could see his legs, and draping behind him like the train to a wedding gown, "G-Gam-Gamzee, I, er, I do-don't th-think I ca-can, um, do thi-this." barely whispering Tavros stared at the ground as he voiced his fear, tears aching from the back of his eyes.

     "I'm, uh, sc-scared."     

     Gamzee looked at Tavros for a second before gently pulling him into a hug.

     "What's a motherfuckin' bro afraid of?" Gamzee's words hummed through Tavros has he cautiously buried his face in the clown's vest.

     "P-People lau-, uh, laughing at, um, m-me."      Tavros muttered, expecting the clown to laugh at his silly fears, after all, they were preforming in a circus, and that's what people did at a circus, laugh at people, right? Ridicule them, gape at them, mock them with degrading names.     

     "Ain't nobody's gonna laugh at a motherfuckin' bro, trust me Tav. They'll be too enthralled in your beauty and elegance, my motherfuckin' bro." The clown cooed to the smaller boy reassuringly, something that Tavros hadn't really considered possible from the carefree, easy going clown.

     Tavros half giggled at Gamzee for his serious attitude before, lookin' up at him and asking, "P-promise?"    

     "Cross my heart, and hope to die." Gamzee said, a lazy grin cracking his serious demeanor. He gave Tavros a squeeze before releasing him from his arms, and looking him straight in the eyes and saying, "Just pretend that the audience doesn't exist, 'k? Just us two and the stage, nobody there to laugh at a motherfuckin' brother, and if there is, they'll have an entire circus on their motherfuckin' tales to tell 'em the fuck otherwise, sound good to a brother, Tavbro?"     

     "Y-yeah, it, uh, s-sounds nice." Tavros grinned gratefully.    

     "FIVE MINUTES! FIVE MINUTES TILL SHOW TIME!"   

     "'K this motherfucker has to go to the other side of the tent, but just remember what I said, 'k brother? Sweet, break a leg, Tavbro!" And with a last hug the clown was off.   

    

 

     The crowd roared its approval as the entire cast and crew, including any animals that had preformed, bowed at the end of the show, two performers blew fire into the air, encouraging the crowd for another deafening round of cheering, before the Grand Circus Master, or Gamzee's father, as Tavros knew him by, motioning for silence to thank all for coming to the nights show, letting the crowd know they were having day shows as well as night shows over the course of the next week if any would be interested in coming again, and then finally wishing all a good night, and directing people towards the exits of the tent.   
    

     The buzz of the crowd dwindled down as they filed out leaving the circus performers to celebrate amongst themselves. 

     Of course Tavros found himself being tackled to the ground by the hyperactive German lion tamer, with the Equius trailer close behind her and scolding her for her incompetent display of cheer, which she just stuck out her tongue at, before rolling off Tavros, and complimenting him on his first performance, or **_purr_** -formance, as she called it.     

     "Oh, it vas absolutely, fantastic, Tavros! You did a purr-fect job!" Nepeta crowed as she crushed him in a bear hug, bumping her head into his shoulder, much like a cat does when it searches for attention.     

     "Nepeta! I do not believe that this particular display of affection for this new-comer is exclusively appreciated, and I advise that you take action in releasing the young man, before he passes out from lack of oxygen." Equius's voice rumbled in a scolding tone, a glare almost seen from behind the cracked lens slipping down his nose.  He opened his mouth to continue but was interrupted by the cheerful bubbling of Gamzee's voice as he plopped his but down next to Nepeta and Tavros, the latter trying to regain a steady breathing pattern, "Nepsis, is right, a motherfuckin' brother did a fuckin' fantastic job! 'Specially for a first time, with only a couple motherfuckin' hours of rehearsin'!" the clown grinned, looping an arm around Tavros, and one around Nepeta.     

     "Uh, really you, um, tho-thought so?" Tavros said a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he looked at the ever joyous clown.     

     "Course this motherfucker thought so, a fucker did so!" Gamzee laughed, squeezing Tavros's shoulders.    

     "It was exceptionally decent, considering the circumstances, I must say I will agree with Gamzee and Nepeta, uh, Tavros." Equius agreed, sweating profusely, something that Tavros found rather odd, but decided not to comment on.     

     Gamzee and Nepeta took turns the rest of the night introducing Tavros to new people. Over the course of the night he met Rose, the sarcastic and quick witted fortune teller, who was also the girl-friend of Kanaya, Jade, the optimistic but intelligent globe roller, and master of Devil's sticks, John, brother to Jade, the gullible prankster, with the occasional pickpocket, who also played in the circus orchestra, Dave's twin brother, DS, who had a strange mutation, causing him to look as if he had wings, Karkat, an short angry guy, who was an assistant for pretty much everyone, Terezi, the blind knife thrower with the cackling voice, Vriska, a real aloof acrobat with a pretty face, Eridan, the circus's whiny magician, Sol and Lux, the identical twins, Aradia, speaker of the dead, Feferi, the cheerful tub diver, and many others, Tavros couldn't remember.     

     Gamzee was cheerfully chatting with Karkat, who seemed to enraged at something to no end and was letting the whole world no by the volume to which he was raising his voice, when Tavros felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. He ended up leaning against Gamzee just to stay standing upright.     

     "Is a motherfuckin' brother all up for gettin' on his sleep, Tavbro?" The clown questioned, as he wrapped an arm around Tavros's shoulders.     

     "OH, FOR FUCK'S SAKE, PLEASE GOG ALL MIGHTY SAY YOU ARE, AND GET THIS FUCKASS TO SHUT HIS FUCKING VOICE HOLE." Karkat shouted at a sleepy Tavros, causing him to cringe.     

     "Jegus, Karkles, don't have to so rough on a clown, or his chocolatey friend. Just calm on down their Mr. Crabby pants." Terezi cackled as she draped herself over Karkat's shoulders, and tapping him on the head with her dragon headed cane.     

     The two descended into pointless bickering, Terezi clearly winning the argument, as Gamzee walked Tavros to the trailer which he would be staying in.     

     When the trailer was in sight Gamzee asked him softly with a grin, "So a motherfuckin' brother all up and have a good time tonight?"     

     "Hmm? Oh, uh, y-yeah, it was, uh, cool. I enjoyed, er, performing, and, uh, m-meeting everyone." Tavros stuttered through a yawn, as sleepy grin spread across his face, and seeped into his smile, "It was, uh, fun."   

     "Glad a motherfucker thinks so, Tav."   
         
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, life caught up to me. That I was completely lacking inspiration, and rewrote this chapter a ridiculous amount of times. And I will probably go back and edit this one some time. Probably. Feedback is always welcome, please let me know what you think of it!

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this is the first fanfiction story I have written, so please give me any feedback on how it could be better, or your opinion of it, or anything really, feedback is always a good thing! I hope you enjoy it!


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